How to Cure Brown Patches in Grass

Bald or brown patches in a lawn not only reduce the aesthetic appeal of the landscape but also weaken the structure of the surrounding grass and increase susceptibility to fungal diseases and pests. Caused by a number of reasons including over- or underwatering, frequent dog urination, excessive fertilizer, thatch buildup, insect pest damage and fungal diseases, lawn patches require immediate attention to control and counter the underlying problem. Repair the lawn patch yourself to save on excessive costs.

Things You'll Need

• Garden hose
• Garden fork or core aerator
• Registered fungicide
• Lawn mower
• Shovel
• Grass seed
• Rake

Instructions

Brown Lawn Patches

1. Douse the brown lawn patch with a gush of water if you notice your dog urinating over it. Frequent dog urination over a particular spot in the lawn causes the grass to turn brown and burn. The highly acidic urine contains excessive nitrogen responsible for the burn. Dousing the spot with water leaches the urine and dilutes its effects over the spot.

2. Aerate soil that appears compacted, especially if you notice frequent foot traffic over it. Compacted soils resist water penetration, thus causing the grass above to turn brown. For smaller areas, insert a garden fork into the soil at different spots to aerate it. For a larger area, use a core aerator that pulls out soil plugs and assists moisture penetration.

3. Inspect the brown grass patch for insect pests such as army bugs, chinch bugs and sod webworms. The pests damage the lawn grass and create dead, dry or brown patches over it. Treat pest-infested patches of grass with an appropriate pesticide to control the problem.

4. Water the grass long enough to ensure that the top 4 inches of soil remain evenly moist at all times. Puddles or pools of water over a particular spot of grass indicate overwatering, while dry, crumbly soil under the brown patch indicates underwatering. Use an automatic sprinkler system that irrigates all parts of the lawn whenever needed, preferably in the morning or afternoon so the foliage is dry by evening.

Bare (Bald) Lawn Patches

1. Remove rocks, twigs and plant debris from the bare patch to expose it completely. Mow the grass surrounding the bare spot shorter than usual to assist water and sunlight penetration to emerging grass seedlings.

2. Loosen the soil over the bare spot to a depth of 4 inches with a shovel and scoop out 2 inches. Add quality topsoil mixed with starter fertilizer over the loosened soil until level with the surrounding area.

3. Sprinkle the desired grass seed over the bare patch. Ideally, spread 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. of seed over a 1,000-square-foot area. Rake the area to cover the seeds 1/4 inch deep in the soil.

4. Water the newly seeded area three to four times a day until germination, which usually takes two to three weeks. Mow the grass until 3 inches tall to blend it with the surrounding lawn grass.

Tips & Warnings

• Overseed a bare patch in fall or early spring.

References

• The Garden Counselor: Lawn Care: Why Grass Stays Brown
• Lawncare-Business: How to Get Rid of Those Brown Patches
• Texas A&M; "Dog-On-It" Lawn Problems; Dr. Steve Thompson
• Iowa State University; Spring Is Here, But Why Is My Lawn Still Brown?; 1996
• Colorado State University Extension: Repair Bare Spots in The Lawn Now
• American-Lawns.com: Repairing Bare Spots